Join this campaign to emphasise a logical solution to the housing crisis.

CATU Ireland is a union for communities and tenants. That means renters, council tenants, mortgage holders, and people in emergency and precarious living situations. The current housing crisis is a result of government policy designed to benefit speculators, landlords and vulture funds. But housing doesn't have to be in crisis. Public housing is the solution. 3,917 households are on the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County housing list, yet the council built only 18 houses in 2023. These figures also hide households who make more than the income limit of €40,000, but who can't afford to rent in DLR where the average rent is now €2,331 per month. The result is that working class families are pushed out of the county. It doesn't have to be this way. Universal public housing will bring about reduced rents and property prices and force corporate investors out, with many properties becoming vacant and available to be added to our stock. Publicly owned housing will further allow tenants to have more control over their communities through local democracy, rather than an unaccountable profit-driven private sector. It will also mean more sustainable communities, as people will not be evicted at the whim of a landlord seeking to make a greater profit. It's time to end the landlords' grip and tip the balance of power back to renters. Housing is a human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold to the highest bidder.

An equal society is a better society for everyone.

The decision to demolish these homes was made by a narrow majority of only one vote, without any community consultation. We believe that this decision is short-sighted and goes against the interests of the people of Ennis. The ongoing housing crisis in Clare makes the demolition of any sound properties unacceptable. Recent figures have shown that families in all parts of Clare are being evicted into homelessness, and there is a severe shortage of emergency accommodation available. These six cottages could be homes for people in desperate straits. We also note that this decision is at odds with the Housing for All strategy, which aims to deliver high-quality, affordable housing and end homelessness in Ireland. The proposed demolition of these cottages to make way for a temporary car park is not in line with this strategy. The current dispute over the demolition of the Francis Street cottages and the subsequent construction of a temporary car park shows remarkable parallels with a previous controversy that shook the town only a few years ago, involving the Ennis Market Building, which carried a staggering price tag of €1.75m. However, as the project has dragged on, it has become increasingly clear that the promises made by its advocates including former Mayor Ann Norton, were far from reality. There are several striking similarities between the market building scandal and the proposed development on Francis Street. One of the most obvious is the involvement of some of the same councillors who were implicated in the market building debacle. There is a need for greater accountability and transparency in local government decision-making. Residents and community groups must be given a voice in these important decisions that will shape the future of our town, and elected officials must be held accountable for their actions and decisions. We urge the Ennis Municipal District Council to halt the demolition of the cottages on Francis Street and to consider the long-term impact of this decision on Ennis' cultural heritage and the ongoing housing crisis. The proposed cost of upwards of one million euro to build a temporary car park could be much better spent on renovating these cottages for use as affordable/public housing for local families. Furthermore, we are deeply concerned about the authority given to the Ennis 2040 DAC and the possible privatisation of publicly owned assets. It is essential that the town's assets and resources are managed in the interests of the community, not for short-term financial gain. We, therefore, call on the Ennis Municipal District Council to provide affordable/public housing for the people of Clare by renovating these cottages on Francis Street. We demand transparency and community involvement in decision-making processes and call on the council to prioritise the needs and interests of the people of Clare. We also call on concerned residents and the wider county to contact the following Councillors who voted in favour of the demolition, and to express their opposition to this decision: Contact: Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy: [email protected] Councillor Paul Murphy: [email protected] Councillor Mary Howard: [email protected] Councillor Ann Norton: [email protected] Together, we can make our voices heard and ensure that Ennis' heritage and homes are protected for future generations, and that affordable/public housing is prioritized in our town's development. Sincerely, Save Francis Street Alliance

We have come together to draw attention to a 28.87 acre site being sold in Carlow. Gateway & Adjoining Lands, Strawhall, Athy Road, Carlow Town, Co. Carlow is for sale by Greencore Group plc. Advertised as “Tremendous potential for further development” There is zero mentioning of any mature trees nor woodland within the advertisement; lot 6 has a well established woodland (Link below for sale details) We are calling on you to help us protect these trees from potential destruction. We want these woodland back as a public amenity. . We want to protect the wildlife under the Wildlife Act 1976 that call this place home already. Trees are vital to preserve and hugely important to biodiversity in the ongoing climate change. And as we have seen before, trees and woodlands removed overnight; we have come together to prevent this from happening. We need our trees! Though this is not solely about the trees and wildlife this is about the community coming together seeing the potential these lands already have for the community. For our future community. Protecting and enhancing our environment for future generations. And only a brisk walk away from our town centre. What we need? We need time. To buy time we need support. We need you to join us, sign our petitions, and share our social posts. Write your support to newspapers. Contact the local representatives. Contact the Carlow County Council. Spread the word for the love of our trees we are coming together! Already a large community has come together in Carlow and further nationwide to bring these woodlands into the public domain. We hope you will share some support and hopefully some day you will get to come visit 😉 Contact us [email protected] (Link to sale details below in "campaign website")

Many people are now homeless. Some are literally appealing to peoples' kindness to let them stay with them because they have nowhere to go after a landlord ends their tenancy. Available rental housing is at an all time low, and the need for it is extremely high. Local authority housing is like gold dust. Mostly landlords are either selling their property or they're turning to the Air BnB model to earn more money. This situation is hiking up the cost of renting a home, and buying an existing house is often far out of reach. This situation is exacerbated by planning restrictions in rural areas. Many people would take care of their own housing needs by buying a small plot of rural land if they could get planning for a low-cost dwelling that is fitting in its surroundings. There is ample land lying idle in West Cork, whilst rural communities are dwindling and people hopes for the safety of a home are dying. This is an easily solvable situation, if the people with the power would only do the right thing. It's up to us to help them make the correct decisions.

The Government has decided to lift the eviction ban that is in place until the end of March. A mother who is renting contacted us yesterday, stunned by the ending of the eviction ban. “I can’t stop crying,” she said. It puts her and her disabled son at serious risk of homelessness. Up and down the country, renters are in a state of panic, fear and anxiety about where they are going to go when the notice-to-quit deadline is reached. Thousands of renters are going to be evicted into a rental market with very little property available, and none that is affordable. Homelessness services will be swamped. There isn’t even emergency accommodation available. Families and children, individuals, will be evicted into homelessness. These are our neighbors, friends, relatives. These renters have done nothing wrong, paid their rent, this is unfair and unjust. These are tenants homes, in communities, where they work, where their children go to school. This is a shameful decision that has put the property investment interests of landlords, including vulture fund landlords, ahead of the most basic need of a home for renters. We need to understand the scale of human misery that will result from this decision. In 2022, a phenomenal 2,734 families and their children (in the region of 5,000 children) were made homeless in Ireland. Most were evicted because the landlord was selling up. The Residential Tenancies Board was notified of 4,643 eviction notices served by landlords from 2021 to 2022. If the eviction ban is not extended there will be a tsunami of evictions and homelessness unlike anything we have seen in this country. The government need to feel the pressure from you – the public – to demand that they don’t bend to the property landlord lobby. The eviction ban doesn’t stop landlords leaving the market – they can sell up and leave the tenant in place. Local authorities and housing associations have funding now to buy up such property. Sign the petition calling on the government to reverse its decision to lift the eviction ban and to extend the eviction ban for another year. Help keep tenants in their homes, keep families and children and individuals safe, and in their home, in their community. Read: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/03/08/ending-eviction-ban-we-need-to-understand-scale-of-human-misery-that-will-follow-this-decision/ Listen to Rory Hearne's Reboot Republic Podcast episode on why we need the eviction ban extended: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6KwDUelzbbyDUl9FKK8Ocl?si=BHMpiKIOR8abTpLrZPi1SA Threshold report on evictions https://threshold.ie/evictions-remain-largest-issue-facing-private-renters-as-threshold-prevents-over-1000-households-from-becoming-homeless-in-q3-2022/

In the last 100 years, Ireland has made great progress and made some mistakes. Meanwhile, in the last 100 years, three generations have not all been able to live here with their needs being met. Mass emigration is a trend in the country that tears families and communities apart. People look for a better future elsewhere because they can't see a good future here. Doctors and nurses emigrating because they don't feel valued. Their pay doesn't allow them to buy a house or save. Teachers are not able to afford rent and health insurance simultaneously. Couples living separately with their parents because they can't afford a house, can't afford a home to rent together, or buy a home together. People in their 20s and 30s think they need to emigrate to progress in these stages of life development. Having children and a home in Ireland is seemingly getting more and more difficult. A best who emigrates effects relationship ties and general happiness. Brothers who emigrate and subsequently put pressure on other siblings to take care of aging parents. These are two more examples of how this affects our communities and social health of the collective of people in Ireland. Generations have left Ireland before in hopes of a better life, higher paying jobs and opportunities that can't be found here in Ireland. Unfortunately, this is the reality for a high number of people in their 20s and 30s. How can they afford a house as an artist, or a teacher in Ireland? Our doctors and nurses being prepped and advised not to stay in Ireland, making the people of Ireland doubt the security of the needed care of our loved ones. Without the possibility of being able to confidently progress through life stages as individuals, our health and wellbeing will suffer. When our people emigrate, family structures and communities weaken. These effects ripple through our country, negatively effecting our physical, social, emotional and mental health. Add your name to my petition if you agree.

Every empty house is a family made homeless. While hundreds of people have died on the streets, the government left €700 million of the housing budget unspent. There is an all-time high of 11,397 people in emergency accommodation, 3,480 are children. Vacant council homes have been left to rot. There are nearly 4,500 empty council homes across the country. We demand that all city and county councils renovate these homes and house those in need immediately.

Children between 0-18 years of age have a legally protected ‘right to play’. By changing the zoning from community/playground to housing - on November 1st, the full council violated the public sector duty and breached children’s right to play, beside Inchicore sports centre. Recently the pitch was locked, and new security company sirens go off warning children to leave the pitch. The council are actively driving people away from using the pitch.

Students are in the red. - 88% of students report worrying about their money and finances during the academic year. - There is an expected shortage of 20,000 student beds by 2024. -The €1,000 reduction in the Student Contribution Charge is a once off reduction. - PhD students are still fighting for a stipend that covers the cost of living. We, the students, need to take a stand for affordable, accessible education. Students can’t afford to stay quiet, so we’re walking out. At 11.11am On October 13th 2022, thousands of students walked out of lectures, to remind politicians that students aren’t an endless money pit. Our demands for students are as follows - Accommodation Demands: Protect Renters - Legislation to protect students in digs-style accommodation - Continuing the eviction ban for students - Legislative change to allow the RTB to intervene in disputes relating to security deposits Reduce Rents - Legislation to enact an immediate rental cap - Establishing freezes on utility bills separate from rents - Allowing the RTB to intervene in relation to security deposits Subsidisation of affordable PBSA from public funds - Building on public lands new and refurbished PBSA - Specifically ensuring approved PBSA is affordable in conditions - Re-establishing the interdepartmental group on student accommodation Cost of College Demands: Abolishment of the Student Contribution Charge - Abolition of the fee within the Lifetime of this Government - Transparency on how non-EU and postgraduate fees are set - Removing hidden course costs in materials and subsidies Funding for the HE Sector (inclusive of SUSI reform and funding) - Funding to increase SUSI grant levels to match the cost of living - Increasing SUSI rates for all brackets to a living subsidy - Increased funding to the sector to reduce the staff student ratio to the European average of 15:1 Minimum wage to match living wage - The normalisation of wages for workers under 20 years old - A PhD stipend of €28,000 following the PhD review - A living wage based on the cost of living, not the median income

We simply cannot afford to pay for this work, particularly at this time of soaring prices. The government has received a report from the Working Group to Examine Defects in Housing which outlines the scale of the problem. It contains different options for the government to decide how to deal with this issue. One of those options is a 100% redress scheme. This is the only just and workable option. We are calling on the government to agree to implement a 100% redress scheme and to then pursue the builders responsible for this crisis.